i just had a few questions for those who have started working as an rn or have been for awhile.
first...i start orientating in 2 weeks. i've already worked at this hospital and this department for about a year as a nurse tech/aid. the way it works, i guess..is i will do a hospital orientation, then go off and work with my preceptor (6mo total) i'm not new to health care...i was an emt for 11 years, and on & off in put pt. dept., clinicals, hospitals etc. i feel very comfortable with the staff i'll be working with. furthermore, i do feel confident with my skills i gained in school and knowledge from already working in that dept. i.e. were things are, the computer system, routines, etc. but my questions are this.
is it normal to be scared out of my mind ?
i'm so scared, i'll look like an idiot! i have this recurring nightmare that my preceptor asks me something/do something so simple and i mess it all up; and everyone gets mad/laughs at me....
do the preceptors expect a lot from you? i mean i'm a hard worker, and i learn fast; moreover, willing to learn. but just starting off, i need to absorb first. i mean, i don't know what i mean. i think i'm just scared they're going to except me to know everything, esp. since i have a little exp. and worked there already...and of course i feel as though i don't know anything.
how did you feel, and when did you get comfortable? i know this is going to vary by person and on the type of nursing. but just some feed back. like when did you fell as though you had a grasp on what was going on. how did you feel while being precepted? when did you feel ok, being on your own? i won't be on my own for 6 mo. which is fine with me.
any advice...any at all is welcome. i'll be working in the ed, which i feel very comfortable in like i said...however...tips, advice, suggestions, tricks..lol on just being a "new grad" in general would be great. (don't feel as though you can't commit if your not working in the same dept. as me...i want to hear it all.)
